The safety of hoop houses for meat birds

[slingshotandLAR]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/988725/chicken-tractors-a-better-way#post_15373754

I build my tractors like mini hoop houses....

They run in a pasture that's surrounded by a 6 strand high tensile electric fence so I really don't have many predator issues.

I'm going to run a few through my orchard that didn't have any fencing and I think they be fine. I also always have a love trap next to one of the tractors, it looks like a way in and anything that does happen by winds up in it.

I also have a really good dog, which helps immensely.

Different places have insanely contrasting predator issues, we have a fairly large fully working farm. We have a occasional visitor but for the most part no problems at all. My dad also raises poultry on 1/10 of the property I have and as crazy issues, I trapped 9 coons in 2 days there and looks like there back at it again. He doesn't have a dog though.

Like anything else your mileage my vary

 

[slingshotandLAR]

I think I am hearing them at times.  Didnt hear them at all the 1st  year here.  I saw my 1st one about a month ago during the day.  We have a pond and it was a young raccoon, I think it came to find frogs.  I got my young dog and let him out (I can call him off anything, so he is the 1st line of defense).  Dog is not a coon hound lol, but finally saw the critter, but after it saw him. It treed itself and both dogs got to run around sniffing raccoon scent.  I hope it chooses to stay in the woods and down by the stream from now on.  

Do your dogs protect your house?....

I don't mean like police dogs per say but warn you of strangers or bark at other animals and what not?

If they do odds are they will really dislike the coons coming around. My dog will kill them given the chance, you have to be careful though a dog without experience or brains will get tore apart by a raccoon.

 

[cafrhe]

I think the main value of my dogs is their presence. I have them with me every time I am outside and I send them around the house and part of the property with the chickens at night before we are in bed. Both will chase critters off. My older will really run them so I dont send him out after noises (he's 10.5 yrs old, but very happy to disappear for an hour or more if allowed). My younger one is very territorial and wishes to drive things off of his property. He stood a bear last year when he was out ahead of me in the woods with my kids. It ran but he did not give chase, stayed with the kids and barked.

The dogs accept the chickens as 'mine' so therefore theirs. We had one injured skunk in the pasture with the chickens last year, it did not run away like it should, so Remus tried to seriously attack it. He would not call off--whether it was because it wouldnt run or it was behind the fence, I am not sure, but normally he doesnt want to engage something, just make it leave. To me, that is the best kind of dog.

The chicks made it through the night outside last night. Of course it cooled off considerably and is now a cool misty day...So they have a heat lamp for now. They will be 3 weeks old on Monday. About 1/2 of them have fairly good feathers...I assume the girls.

 

[cafrhe]

Your tractor is very nice! The wheels are great!

 

[CrazyTalk]

I think you will be good with the 4 ft of welded wire . . . until a racoon shows up. Predators can rip through the chicken wire very easily.

Welded wire and chicken wire are entirely different things. Welded wire will keep raccoons out.

Put a hot wire at 6" off the ground around the hoop house, and you won't have to worry about diggers.

 

[MichaelZ13]

What I meant was that the racoon might climb up the 4 ft to the chicken wire. Yeah the welded wire would keep out the racoon. And 4 ft of it would keep out any coyote or fox. The hot wire would certainly help a lot.

 

[cafrhe]

Yes, I have 4' of welded wire around the entire house with the top covered by chicken wire. Perhaps when I sell the extras from this batch, I will buy another roll of welded wire and cover the top too...then I can worry less. Will look into hot wire too...just not that organized right now. Meat chicks are not the best impulse buy one can make lol!! At least I know I have a processor.

 

[AdamWatts99]

Not sure what you refer to by welded wire, i think you may be talking about hardware "cloth" , but chicken wire is pretty junky and i only use it on the bottom of the tractors as to keep predators out while grass can still stick through the large holes, everything else is hardware cloth and have had nothing tear in or out

 

[chiques chicks]

Welded wire often refers to 2x3 or 2x4 wire generally used for fencing. I use it for almost all my fencing. Small predators like weasel van get through and raccoons can reach through it, though.

 

[cafrhe]

This is welded wire. http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/welded-wire-48-in-x-100-ft I also use it for all of my fences--it is a strong thick wire, but yes smaller predators can reach through if they desire.